Courtesy KC Bones
First came the pop-up, temporary restaurants or events that emerge for a finite amount of time and then disappear. Then, as the restaurant landscape changed (even before the COVID-19 pandemic), the ghost kitchen came to life. Also known as a delivery kitchen, virtual kitchen, or shadow kitchen, a ghost kitchen is a restaurant without a dining room, one created for meal delivery.
Leave it to the creative team at Sugarfire Smoke House and Hi-Pointe Drive-In to combine the two: the SugarHi Ghost Kitchen debuts tomorrow, operating out of the downtown location of Hi-Pointe Drive-In, at 634 Washington.
The first concept, KC Bones, is a delivery- only (and temporary) business that will showcase Kansas City–style spare ribs, “a saucy and smoky” iteration that hasn't been done in St. Louis, according to chef-partner Mike Johnson, the creative mind behind the concept.
“KC Bones will run for two to three weeks,” says Ben Hillman, partner in SugarHi, “and then we’ll switch over to something else.” The next concept is still to be determined, but he says al pastor and birria tacos are under consideration.
KC Bones' hours are the same as at Hi-Pointe, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon-Sat.
Hillman explains that KC Bones is a separate entity, a restaurant with its own menu that’s designed specifically for delivery within a 10-mile radius. “We partnered exclusively with Doordash on this,” he says, "which established it as a completely separate restaurant. Eventually, we may add some Hi-Pointe items to the ghost kitchen menu but not initially.
Courtesy KC Bones
The inaugural KC Bones menu features ribs in four sizes (two bones, four bones, half slab, and full slab) that are “smoked over hickory wood, finished over charcoal, glazed with a peppery Kansas city sauce, and served over white bread,” according to the website.
Also available are bone-in or boneless wings (in five sizes, from six to 50 wings) tossed in one of eight sauces, from Sweet Buffalo to Nashville Hot. Crinkle-cut fries, onion rings, mac and cheese, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie round out the brief menu.
Courtesy KC Bones
Hillman explains that the concept addresses several issues. “Especially now, the downtown Hi-Pointe has the ability to roll out a concept like this,” he says, "whereas the McCausland location is too busy to do so.
“The Sugarfire Restaurant Group hasn’t laid anyone off during the pandemic and doesn’t want to,” continues Hillman. “This way, we can keep introducing fresh new concepts, keep the customers’ interest level high, keep our people busy, and cater to the increasing demand for meal delivery.
“Mike is focusing on items that people want to eat and that can travel well,” adds Hillman. “And knowing Mike, I’m sure he has dozens of them.”
